Peonies lead farmers to prosperity

Peonies in full bloom in Xie Xinjing's greenhouse. [Photo by Liu Yongxia for chinadaily.com.cn]

When Xie Xinjing started growing peonies more than 20 years ago, his only clients were Chinese medicine halls, which used the root of the plant as a herb to treat a variety of conditions.

As China's economy grew and the quality of life rose, Xie noticed that more and more people from the urban areas were buying freshly cut flowers to spruce up their homes and use as gifts.

Sensing a business opportunity, he expanded his portfolio to include ornamental peonies.

As it turned out, this move was a masterstroke as the demand for his flowers shot through the roof. Today, Xie runs a large greenhouse in Penglou town in Juancheng county, Heze city, East China's Shandong province where he grows a variety of peonies.

A worker checks freshly cut peonies. [Photo by Liu Yongxia for chinadaily.com.cn]

Besides giving him second income stream, the ornamental peonies have also boosted his earnings from medicine halls as their roots can also be sold for medicinal purposes.

His business acumen has benefited those around him as well. Due to the increased need for manpower to manage his expanded operations, Xie has hired many locals, who can earn up to 60 yuan ($8.57) a day picking the flowers.

Having witnessed the success that Xie has carved out for himself, Penglou officials are now encouraging more people to join the growing peony industry. They are also exploring ways to integrate the planting and processing of peonies with tourism to boost the development of the town. (Edited by Fan Yuanyuan)